This award honors institutions of higher education that have achieved excellence in their alcohol prevention efforts. UCM's AlcoholEdu Implementation Team is made up of representatives from the Office of the President, Student Affairs, Residential Life, Athletics, Information Services, Admissions, University Health Services and Health Promotions.

"This award illustrates our institutional commitment to reduce high risk drinking among students," said Walt Hicklin, interim vice president for Student Affairs. "The AlcoholEdu program was a success because of the collaborative nature of the effort."

One Component of Comprehensive Plan

UCM is utilizing AlcoholEdu as one component of a comprehensive plan to reduce underage and high-risk drinking. This past fall, during the first year of a four-year program, all first year students were asked to complete the three-hour online program.

First-year Students Participate Online

Beginning in July 2006, first-year students will complete the bulk of the program during the summer before they arrive on campus, finishing the program about two weeks after the first day of classes.

"One reason UCM was recognized with the Prevention Excellence Award is because AlcoholEdu is not the only tool we are using to address the issue of high risk and underage drinking," said Amy Kiger, assistant director of university health services for health promotion. "Presentations in AE1400 classes, increased compliance checks at local establishments, support for student initiatives such as GAMMA and Night Ryder, specific sanctions for alcohol-related violations on campus, and working with a campus-community coalition – all of these strategies help contribute to a more comprehensive alcohol prevention and risk reduction program."

Panel of Experts Evaluate Program

Award applications were evaluated by a third-party panel of experts in the prevention field. Their decisions were based on five criteria: implementation practices, communication, evaluation, programmatic linkages, and organizational linkages.

More Than 450 Campuses Participate

The Prevention Excellence Award program is sponsored by Outside the Classroom, the developer of "AlcoholEdu for College," an online prevention program used on more than 450 college campuses around the country. Also receiving the award were the College of Charleston, Frostburg State University, Ohio University, Southern Methodist University, University of Connecticut, and Washington University in St. Louis, with Syracuse University receiving highest honors.